- Sex (legal)
- The sex a person is registered with under the Swedish 1972:119 Act on determination of sex.
- Gender identity
- A person's internal experience of their gender. May or may not align with legal or bodily sex.
- Gender expression
- Outward expression such as clothing, name, address and body language linked to gender.
- Gender dysphoria
- Clinically significant distress from a mismatch between gender identity and assigned/bodily sex. Diagnosed under DSM-5 (Gender Dysphoria) and ICD-10 F64.0/F64.2.
- Gender incongruence
- ICD-11 term (HA60) replacing F64. Classified outside the chapter on mental disorders.
- F64
- ICD-10 codes for gender identity disorders. F64.0 transsexualism (adults), F64.2 gender identity disorder of childhood.
- Referral
- Written referral from e.g. child psychiatry or primary care to a specialised assessment unit. Recorded but does not equal diagnosis.
- Assessment
- Multidisciplinary medical and psychological evaluation preceding any diagnosis and treatment.
- Puberty suppression
- GnRH analogues delaying puberty. In Sweden after 2022, only within research or selected exceptions for minors.
- Cross-sex hormones
- Oestrogen or testosterone producing secondary characteristics of the experienced gender.
- Gender-affirming surgery
- Chest, genital or facial surgery. Generally requires adulthood in Sweden.
- Social transition
- Change of name, pronoun, clothing or hair without medical treatment. Not a medical intervention but can affect assessment.
- Informed consent
- Requirement that the patient (and, for minors, guardians) have received adequate information on benefits, risks and uncertainties.
- Strength of evidence
- Assessment of certainty, often via GRADE: high/moderate/low/very low. SBU and Cass rate hormone treatment of minors as low/very low.
- Systematic review
- Structured research synthesis that searches, appraises and combines all relevant studies under a pre-defined protocol.
- Long-term follow-up
- Follow-up beyond 5–10 years post-treatment. Largely missing for minors receiving hormonal treatment.
- DSM-5
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. (APA, 2013). Uses ‘Gender Dysphoria’.
- ICD-10 / ICD-11
- WHO classification. Sweden currently uses ICD-10 (F64); transition to ICD-11 (HA60 gender incongruence) planned.
- SBU
- Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment. Systematic reviews of the evidence for treatments.
- National Board guidelines
- National recommendations for gender dysphoria care. Updated 2015 and December 2022. The 2022 knowledge support applies only to children and adolescents; the National Board of Health and Welfare states that it will be updated in the future.
- National guidelines 2026 (National Board of Health and Welfare)
- National guidelines 2026: Gender dysphoria — prioritisation support for those deciding on resources in regional healthcare (art. no. 2026-2-10054, published 17 February 2026; summary art. no. 2026-2-10053). They mainly concern adults, but several recommendations also apply to children. The agency states that updated guidelines for decision-makers will be published at the end of 2026, taking into account comments on the first version.
- Cass Review
- Independent review of NHS England care for gender dysphoria in children and adolescents. Final report April 2024.
- WPATH
- World Professional Association for Transgender Health — an international professional body. Issues Standards of Care (SoC 8, 2022).
- NICE
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK). Published 2020 evidence reviews of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.
